


Odds Won Out

by acuteneurosis



Series: Caught in the Act [18]
Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Denial, Gen, Misunderstandings, odd jobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-08 14:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18625339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acuteneurosis/pseuds/acuteneurosis
Summary: What are the chances that Kyoko has to deal with their most difficult client when it comes to the stupid event her boss is hosting?100% and rising.





	Odds Won Out

**Author's Note:**

> Vol 3 Act 12

"I don't see the point of this," Kanae growled as she pushed her hair back, crossing her legs as she collapsed into a chair next to her friend.

"You know how the president is," Kyoko shrugged, leaning forward to plant her elbows on the table, cradling her face in her hands. "He just wants people to be happy."

"How can you be so calm?" Kanae demanded with a snap. "You know how much you hate men."

"Since when has anyone ever been able to stop the president?" was the colorless response. Kanae caught a glimpse of tired exasperation in her friend's eyes and bit back a snappy retort. It could be hard sometimes to see what Kyoko was thinking. She could be surprisingly secretive, especially about anything that she felt was "professional." But Kanae had learned over the past few years to see those few hints when Kyoko was upset about her work.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I figured I'd use the board," Kyoko answered, waving vaguely at a dart board that was hung across the room. "Since he wants us to invite a client, it's the easiest way."

"Well, it is easy," Kanae agreed. "Unless you get Tsuruga."

Kyoko groaned.

"Come on. Even I don't have that much bad luck."

"I'm just saying, you hit him more than anyone else does. In spite of the fact that he's fired you, what, twelve times now."

"I'm just glad he always lets me back in," Kyoko confessed. "Something always comes up, and we don't want to lose him as a customer. And there's nothing wrong with my work!" she added defensively.

"No," Kanae agreed. "Not with your work."

She did not feel the need to add, "Just your attitude," in so many words. It was patent in her tone and expression. Kyoko sniffed.

"It's not my fault he has such perfect timing. I'm allowed to have whatever opinions I want of his morals and character. He's a virulent playboy, and he should be ashamed of how he treats women."

"I'm just surprised you're not more ashamed of how often he's caught you talking to yourself about him. He probably thinks you're obsessed."

"He does," Kyoko admitted guiltily, shifting slightly in her seat, then sitting up straight, trying to use her perfect posture to hide further discomfort.

"I'm also surprised he hasn't tried to seduce you, if he does think that," Kanae mused, missing the slight pink that came to Kyoko's cheeks. "I mean, that's why he got rid of his last few cleaning ladies, isn't it? Because they got so attached when he started-"

She cut short, noticing that Kyoko had turned bright red and was plucking at her striped shirt. Kyoko might be the kind of girl who could brazenly call a man a dangerous Casanova, but if you asked her to explain, in clear detail, what that meant, she suddenly lost all communicative capacities.

"I'm not his cleaning lady," Kyoko eventually muttered.

"I guess housekeeper is more appropriate," Kanae admitted. "It's got to be one of your most straightforward jobs to date. No crazy kids or bratty celebrities. Easiest Caretaker assignment yet."

"Ruriko was probably the hardest," Kyoko noted, shaking her head. "I can't believe that I got injured."

"Or that you had to be rescued by Tsuruga Ren on the way home?"

"It wasn't a rescue. And honestly, it only caused more problems because a friend of Ruriko's worked at the hospital he took me to, and she almost fired me the next day because for some reason she was jealous. Jealous! As if Tsuruga Ren actually cared what had happened to me. As if he wasn't just trying to put me in his debt and at his mercy."

Kyoko ruminated darkly on the memory.

"At least he didn't have anything to do with the Koenji case. I mean, it was hard, and I couldn't have done it without you. But it was just us," Kanae pointed out, hoping to distract her friend. It worked, maybe a little too well.

"Yes!" Kyoko answered with a brilliant smile. "And you said I was your partner, and your best friend! It was the bestest job ever!"

Kanae cringed at the exuberance.

"Well, aside from when you met the president's granddaughter. You liked that job, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that was for different reasons. Maria is a sweetheart, and she helps me find discount supplies for my dolls."

Kanae shuddered. "Just how many of those have you made by now?"

"Of Tsuruga Ren? A lot. I'm hoping if I can curse him into keeping his distance, I won't have to worry about him firing me again."

"How's it working?"

"Not well," Kyoko admitted sadly. "It's like by establishing any connection between us at all, I keep getting closer to him on accident. I think I'll need to stop."

"Probably," Kanae agreed more casually than she felt. She hoped Kyoko gave up the voodoo. The "magic" itself was not nearly as terrifying as Kyoko's lifelike miniatures of Tsuruga.

"Why do we do this?" Kyoko sighed suddenly, picking up a dart from a pile in the middle of the table and twirling it idly in her fingers.

"Because we were broke, useless, and failures," was the brutal reply. "I couldn't bury my family enough to be an actress and you got dumped by the biggest loser in this city, and then ran away from all your jobs before you had thought through anything. We both had enough housewife skills that when we saw that stupid ad for workers, we applied before we realized what we were getting into."

"Caretaking," Kyoko mumbled with a role of her eyes. "Odd jobs."

"Acting."

"Pandering."

"Making dreams come true," Kanae added with her most bitter tone yet. "Well, everyone's but ours."

"Do we have dreams anymore?" Kyoko asked dully, tapping the dart against the table.

"Getting a real job?" Kanae suggested.

Kyoko chuckled. "I guess."

"The president is just too weird," Kanae complained. "I don't see what the big deal is about this Christmas party. It's isn't even for his granddaughter's birthday, even though that's when he's hosting it. For a guy who's so concerned about love and happiness, you'd think he'd save a mandatory couples dance for two months and celebrate with that Maria kid now."

"She doesn't want a party," Kyoko reminded her friend.

Kanae rolled her eyes. "We need to be around normal people again."

"We work with normal people," Kyoko pointed out.

"Cleaning house for the sexiest, richest, youngest, profligate man in the city does not count as working with a 'normal' person," was the immediate retort.

"Alright, maybe not."

"How many of his girlfriends have you met by now, anyway? They can't be normal either."

Kyoko looked away. "None."

"Really? Me either. I thought that since you have the morning shift whenever you get him maybe you had met more of them."

"No."

"Weird. With all the rumors, you'd think it would be more obvious. Maybe he just doesn't invite them home."

"I thought you said he came back most nights at ten and was still there when you left?"

"Yeah. And he's up and working by the time you get there, isn't he? And you're there by about six thirty. Maybe he's one of those people that can live on no sleep."

Kyoko shifted again, still looking away. "He says he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Doesn't surprise me," was Kanae's immediate response. "Guy's got major commitment issues."

"Well, technically, he says he hasn't had any relationships with women outside of work."

"Lies," Kanae said firmly.

"Since he moved here," Kyoko added conscientiously, glancing back at her friend. Kanae blinked.

"That was five years ago."

"I think so."

"Lies." She paused, suddenly confused. "Wait, he told you all of that? How did that conversation happen?"

"I don't know," Kyoko answered slowly, as if she were confused as well. "I think it must have been one of the times he overheard me talking about him. He got angry and scolded me as he was getting ready to leave. Then, right before he left, he turned back around and told me that he didn't have a girlfriend."

"But why? I thought everyone knew about his excessive relationships."

"I'm not sure," Kyoko muttered. "He certainly has women around him whenever I see him in the city, but…" she hesitated.

"They weren't close?"

"I don't see how they could be," Kyoko harrumphed. "He always has that lying smile on, unless he's looking like he's ready to kill you."

"He has that kind of face?"

"All the time."

"What on earth have you been saying about him?" Kanae demanded, completely confused. "He has to be the most easygoing, or at least forgiving, man alive."

"I haven't said anything that bad. I swear!"

"Well, then he must really hate your guts. You'd better hope you don't end up having to ask him to the party."

"He'd probably already have plans," Kyoko pointed out as she shifted slightly to aim the dart at the board.

"Nope."

"How do you know?"

"I help work out his schedule, remember?"

"Then why are you asking me about his love life?"

"I figure not everything hits the planner."

"Probably not," Kyoko agreed, throwing the dart and blinking as she realized where it had landed. Kanae laughed.

"Best two out of three?"

Two minutes later, when Kyoko reached out and realized the pile of darts was depleted, she looked at Kanae in dismay. Kanae did her best to hide a smirk.

"You have some incredible luck. I think this was meant to be."

"Mokoooooo!" Kyoko wailed, flapping a hand at the dart board. "They all landed on Tsuruga Ren!"

"You'd better hope he doesn't have plans."

"Nooo! Save meeeeeeeee!"


End file.
